Summertime eats

The weather today was damn near "summery"!!  It was warm when we woke up, and clear blue sky, and lasted ALL day- Bossman actually rode his motorcycle to work!  I cannot believe that we live in a place that does not get a summer, but that is, in fact, the case.  In celebration of the scorching high temperature (topped out at 72 today, we all had socks on.  Excuse me while I have a cry...), we went to the farm stand.  We came home with our loot & I got to baking/prepping:

Peach Pie

Lovely, lovely Peach-Strawberry Conserve

Bruschetta!!  Heaven.  Seriously, the easiest summer dinner.  It's a summer party in your mouth.

Battle Royale!

After that little rest, and a snack, Boss Jr tempted Sweet BB into a dance battle. (She practices almost daily, then "innocently" asks visitors if they want to do a dance battle. Within seconds, the realization sets in that you are NOT dealing with an amateur.)



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Assume the position

Sweet Baby Boy is here!!  He & Boss Jr can typically be found like this:

They can occasionally be organized into a efficient work team, to do yard projects like log collecting:

These piles are destined for a weekend bonfire.  :)

Like a typical member of our family, he is very busy & active- so we don't see him nearly as much as we'd like.  We will be squeezing in as much fun as possible in the next week & a half.

What are you doing today?

I know you want to know what we are doing today.  I'll give you a hint...


Boss Jr held up foot traffic on the MRT in Bangkok to snap this

We'll do other things, I'm sure.  But really, what else matters?  (Boss Jr already saw it, while staying over with a friend.  She did not see it in 3D [clearly, this other family does not take it seriously, and do not love their children as much as they should], and has PROMISED that she will keep her yapper shut & let me enjoy every epic second.)

Trip Review

Thank you for your patience while I got my head cleared of travel fog, and the house cleared of travel chaos- it's amazing how stressful & anxiety-inducing all that clutter can be.  I really hate it.

Our trip was amazing.  I love Bangkok, and the process of getting there.  Boss Jr was a really great traveler- oddly peaceful & helpful.  It was really fun flying with her.  And it was really so much fun to show her all the things I love about the city.  We talked yesterday about how quickly we created a little "mini-life".  We spread out in our hotel room like an apartment, we learned our street & our neighborhood, we had our daily trip to Tops for snacks & drinks.

Mmmm!  Thai cheetos- definitely the best.

Fun to try on a different life for a few days.  As we drove to our local Safeway & to check the mail yesterday, we talked about how interesting it is that people can settle into a life in our little town (in any place), without being sure it's the right one.  I'm glad Boss Jr is starting early.  She's already been talking about where we should visit next- on her list is Australia & Brazil.  :)

Overcast Monday morning

Funny how overcast in Thailand is a great thing- a sign of a not-hot day, yet here it's just depressing...  We got in yesterday, and had our ritual pizza dinner.  Definitely comfort food!  The flock was delighted to see us, and just stood at the front door waiting for treats.  I swear the turkeys gained about 10 lbs!  I will do an official weight check later today. 
Random trip pics:

Buffy, the Soi Dog

Saying goodbye to Koh Chang

One of MANY photos of squat toilets

Even at the Queen's zoo, the fog of Humboldt looms close...

A better update to follow...

Back to the city

We got back to "civilization" last night, after our holiday.  We had a quick visit to the office, then to what turned out to be a surprise birthday party for one of our friends.  It was such a fun evening- much great food, new friends, & laughter!!  What a great experience for Boss Jr!  She immediately made friends with our host's son, and his friends- and within minutes they were out in the street playing soccer.
Today, Boss Jr & I are laying low & getting acclimated to the hotel & city.  Tomorrow, we have a full day booked- outings with 2 families, then meeting Bossman for dinner.  Kinda fun to be so popular...

View of the city, from our balcony

In knitting news, (because I know that's really why you tune in... :) so far, I have completed 2.25 socks on this trip.  Boo-yah.

Rainy day

rainy paths, rainy bungalows, everything lush & green

A summer storm has forced a change of plans (at least for the morning) and we are just hanging out on the patio watching the rain drip off the roof and listening to the thunder.  It's actually quite lovely, a forced day of relaxation- but it is only 9:30am, so we'll see how lovely it is in an hour or so when we're pacing around like caged animals...
We're back to the city tomorrow.  I am looking very forward to a visit to the office- seeing all our Thai friends, and Boss Jr getting to see the place where Bossman spends so much time.  It will be fun to hear her thoughts about it all.

Drip, drip, drip

Checkin' in...

Powered through long flights (Boss Jr is an oddly wonderful travel companion.  None of the usual drama.  Helpful & cheerful & a calming voice.) and we're now enjoying our holiday on a small island.  Our hotel is lovely (as I sit on the patio of our bungalow on a bamboo chair, listening to the waterfall & watching Boss Jr swim.)  We took a bit of tour of the island today. We saw monkeys, and  I wrecked my motorbike twice (TWICE!!) Both the bike & myself are a bit scraped & bruised- but that's all part of the fun, right?!  Yes, I think so...

Beach swing!!

Swimming at 6am.  Definitely on holiday.

Travel monster

Ok, as many of you know, I used to be a horrible control-freak.  Horrible.  Monstrous.  Domineering to my family, and never feeling personal satisfaction.  More of an exhausted, empty feeling.  I have worked very hard to chill the frick out, and enjoy the moments as they come.  "Accept the things I cannot change..." and all that good stuff.  Travel prep makes me a WAY more psycho version of my former high-strung self.  I talk in a mean voice to loved ones, I get a sharp stress-induced neck pain, I can't sleep.  General unpleasantness.

I thought today of what I REALLY needed to travel, what I could not live without.  If handed a boarding pass & told to be ready in 3 minutes, what would I grab & go.

1. Shawl- pretty cover-up, blanket

2.  SUNSCREEN.  Always.

3.  Lip balm

4.  Passport






So really, what's to freak out about?

Wow. Long time...

No post!  Must mean we're busy.  And indeed we are!  Gearing up for another trip, and at present, it feels like everywhere I look in the house looks like this:

This is the aftermath of Boss Jr unloading 2 bags, selecting what she'll REALLY need to condense into 1 bag, and leaving the rest all over the living room.  While I fully recognize that she has not gone room-to-room, creating the same piles, but right now, it feels like it.  Yes, I am starting the pre-trip freak out.  Can you sense it from there?  Aren't you glad you aren't here?

WIP: big socks!

A new pair of socks are in progress.  Different yarn, different design (note the clever reinforced heel action we've got going on.  I will also do a bit of this on the toe.) 
I guess these will not be my "project for the plane" socks....  But a trip to the yarn store might be on my intinerary during the next few days.

Rewards

Happy Friday to all!!  Friday night is always such fun- a reward for a focused, diligent week.  This evening, we will have some friends over, relax on the (sunny, please let it be sunny!!) deck, and enjoy a great meal:

BBQ Steak & Corn
Roasted Fingerling Potatoes

Frisee Salad (an AMAZING salad where bacon fat & vinegar & a slightly poached egg create the most incredible dressing.  Truly magical.)

Cucumbers & Vinegar (an ode to Boss Jr.)

Strawberry Shortcake (unless the strawberries don't look good, then it'll be the tried-and-true Brownies)



Kooky striped, cozy, oversized Boss Jr. socks!

Socks!!  I always thought I could not knit socks, but lookie-lookie!  They are not perfect, but I'm VERY proud all the same.  And I feel like I've really become a knitter now, like this was a huge badge of honor that I didn't realize I'd been withholding from myself.  I'm now onto another pair, and LOVING every stitch of it.  I've now started using it as a reward-system: scrub a toilet, knit a bit.  Fold a load of laundry, knit a bit.  Etc.  It's really great!

I got this pic last evening.  You should NOT be shocked to hear that Boss Jr is in the middle of that death-trap, hanging upside down, loving every second of the pressure of her guts in her throat.  Her brother, 5 years older, said there was no way he was getting on that!!  And I'm sure that only made her enjoy it more!  She's a fearsome creature to behold.